Book recommendations for WW1 & 2 type books

[solo2]

Hi,

My almost 90 year old father loves World War books, things about Spitfires and that sort of thing. He used to fly out of Biggin Hill in his 30's in an old Bi Plane with my mum.

He reads a lot so wanted to get him some books for Christmas but no idea what to get. I could google and pick random suggestions but I have no idea if they are worth reading so as a very long shot I though I might ask here for suggestions?

Thanks

[Skii]

If he doesn't already have it - Fighter , by Len Deighton

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fighter-True-Story-Battle...

[Harpoon]

Mosquito by Roland White has just been published. His other books (eg Harrier 809 and Vulcan 607) are very good IMHO

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mosquito-Legendary-Wooden...

[solo2]

Thank both, I will check those out

[RicksAlfas]

The Big Show by Pierre Clostermann and Wings on my Sleeve by Eric Winkle Brown are two of the best in my opinion.

[jjones]

First Light
https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Light-Geoffrey-Well...

[RDMcG]

If you want something a little different you might want to try The First and the Last, by Adolf Galland, a ww2 German fighter ace who later became a very senior officer in the post war German airforce. He has some real insight as to how it was to fly for the Luftwaffe and also why they were defeated.

[Kes Arevo]

The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, and The Last Battle, all by Cornelius Ryan.

[solo2]

These are brilliant suggestions. Thank you

[jet_noise]

How technical is he?
I'm an eng. and enjoyed, in ascending order of tech. Sigh for a Merlin, Not much of an Engineer, the Secret Horsepower Race.
The latter is at the same time techie and a historical howdunnit. A major work and the author is a PHer.

[Faust66]

Couple of suggestions for you. First one dates from WW1, the others from WW2.


Sopwith Scout 7309 by Gordon Taylor

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/first-edition/Sopwith-S...

You might struggle to find a copy at a fair price. Excellent read though (loved it since I was a small lad).


Couple by the same author: Herbert Raymond Allen ('Dizzy' Allen):

Ten Fighter Boys

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Ten_Fighter...

Quite moving in places. Reading unfinished accounts by young men who never returned puts a lump in your throat...

Fighter Squadron: A Memoir, 1940-42

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/author/alle...

Again, loved this book since I was a kid.

[GliderRider]

Mustang Pilot by Richard E. Turner

Saggitarius Rising by Cecil Lewis (WW1 pilot)

Not WW1 or WW2, but Chickenhawk by Robert Mason is his memories as a Vienam 'Huey' helicopter pilot and is 'unputdownable'.

A lot of Nevil Shute's novels are set around WW2. Try Landfall, Requiem for a Wren, Most Secret.

[LimmerickLad]

Stuka Pilot - Autobiography of World War Two Luftwaffe pilot Hans Ulrich Rudel

[ujio]

RicksAlfas said:

The Big Show by Pierre Clostermann and Wings on my Sleeve by Eric Winkle Brown are two of the best in my opinion.

I concur! Have read both and they're excellent.

Also, 'A Higher Call' by Adam Makos, 'Stuka Pilot' Hans Ulrich Rudel, 'the First and the Last' by Adolf Galland if you want more of a German perspective are worthwhile reads.

Another definite short but sweet read is "The Last Enemy" by Richard Hillary.. a more stoic reflection and quite moving.

EDIT: How did i forget to mention "First Light" by Geoffrey Wellum. A must read as well.

Edited by ujio on Wednesday 25th October 16:33

Edited by ujio on Wednesday 25th October 16:43

[ujio]

LimmerickLad said:

Stuka Pilot - Autobiography of World War Two Luftwaffe pilot Hans Ulrich Rudel

I really enjoyed this. Even though he was a die hard Nazi I would loved to have shared a beer with him.... what a fascinating life he led.

[Tango13]

If you want a book about Eric 'Winkle' Brown I'd suggest this...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winkle-Extraordinary-Brit...

'Wings on my Sleeve' was ghost written, /\ that is the authorised 'warts n all' biography.

I'd also recommend anything by Ben Macintyre.

[Perseverant]

I've read pretty much all of the suggestions here, but here are some more : "Bomber" by Len Deighton, "Fighter Pilot" by Paul Richey (a Hurricane pilot in France in 1940) and "War Story" by Derek Robinson, set in the First War. Another interesting sidelight is "Fly and Deliver" by Hugh Bergel about his service in the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary)

[jet_noise]

Bell rung by Pers., a Hurricane book. Makes a change from Spitfires!
Hurricane : the last witnesses Milton, Brian

[EdmondDantes]

The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WWII Story of Survival in the Pacific.

By Alistair Urquhart.

[RizzoTheRat]

If he fancies branching out a bit from WW1 and WW2, I just finished Guts and Gunships, which is a crap name but a decent read as an account of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. I'm now following it up by rereading Chickenhawk as I discovered it's on kindle's 99p deal at the moment, supposedly slightly embellished (as in stories are meant to be true but might not have all happened to the same guy) biography of a helicopter pilot who went out to Vietnam with the first air cavalry unit when they started.